


Homebrew

by j_whirl44



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Other, Recreational Drug Use, could be platonic or shippy your choice, i personally am staring hard at QPR zolf and cel, just pals hanging out whomst is to say what'll happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26051335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_whirl44/pseuds/j_whirl44
Summary: Cel and Zolf take a break
Relationships: Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom & Zolf Smith, Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom/Zolf Smith
Comments: 12
Kudos: 26





	Homebrew

Zolf feels light for the first time in a very long time. It was a particularly long day on the ship and though they were out of the woods on most of the wild magic; his legs still ached in the aftershocks. It was a hard journey but they were that much closer to Svalbard and for once; he let the crew take a rest.

That’s when Cel turned up at his door with a cheeky grin on their face and a hand behind their back. Zolf doesn’t say anything but raises an eyebrow. Cel now reveals the bottle they're holding and gives it a little shake.

“Evening Mister Smith,” they say.

“Uh..hi,” Zolf says, as eloquently as ever. They both continue to stand in the doorway for another moment before Zolf moves to the side to let them in. Cel walks in nonchalantly and looks around the room.

“So this is how a first mate lives,” they say. Zolf watches as they seemingly look over every corner of the room with that inquisitive look they always have.

He shrugs, “more or less.” He winces again slightly as his legs remind him of their state and so he moves to sit on his bed and the relief is instant once his weight shifts.

Cel notices his discomfort and pulls a face, “are you okay Zolf?” they take a tentative step and join him on the bed. 

He rubs the spot where his legs attach and give a noncommittal grunt, “My magical legs didn’t take too kindly to the wild magic. I’ll be fine, they’re just a little tight at the moment,” he explains.

“Interesting…” Cel says. They trail off and Zolf can tell they’re biting their tongue. They want to ask more questions but are trying not to be so invasive.

He smiles, “So uh, is there a reason why you’re here?” he asks. It maybe comes out more accusatory than he meant it, but if Cel picks up on it they don’t show it.

They straighten up, “Oh! Yes actually I, uh, was going through my things and I found a...potion,” they say. They reveal the same bottle from before. It's small and holds a yellowish liquid that almost seems to be sparkling. 

“A...potion,” he repeats back.

Cel looks away from him and seems embarrassed. Their cheeks blush and they bite their lip. They give a small laugh, “It’s not the type of potion you really want to...take alone. And I thought maybe you’d want to try it. After the journey you just had. It’s a good relaxer.” They’re smiling again and look to Zolf with that face that says they’re up to trouble.

“Right…” he says, not completely understanding. Cel’s look turns pointed and he can tell they’re amused by his lack of understanding. Then it hits him, “Oh. Right...right. Uh I don’t know if I'd be much fun with it. Haven’t really done anything like that in a while,” he finishes.

Cel gives a scoff and waves their hand, “nonsense Mister Smith. I created this one myself it’s  _ nothing  _ like anything you might’ve had-which by the way I didn’t really pin you as the type but it’s always fun to learn these kinds of things about people-”

“You didn’t pin me as the type but you came here anyway?” Zolf asks.

Cel stops and thinks about it. Then they just smile and shrug, “In fairness everyone else is asleep…” they trail off. There’s a look on their face that’s telling Zolf something more but he can’t quite recognize it so he holds his tongue.

He tries to move on, “Right so how are we doing this then?”

Cel snaps out of whatever thought they were in and gives a wide toothy smile. They uncork the bottle, “Excellent! So it has been awhile since i’ve used this but this should be plenty enough for the both of us. Uh..I-I can take a sip first and then you can. Now since our body types are so different I don’t quite remember how much that’ll affect the experience but uh It should be fine…” they explain. They look nervous again. Zolf reaches out and touches their forearm. Cel jumps slightly and looks at him. He gives them a nod, they smile shyly.

They take a sip and that big smile from earlier instantly returns. They hand Zolf the bottle. He lifts it up in silent cheers before he brings it to his lips and takes probably too big of a sip. It goes so smooth down his throat he’s not even sure he swallowed it. His tongue feels coated in something but it’s not uncomfortable. It tastes sweet like cake. He looks over at Cel and looks at them with a shrug as to ask “ _ what happens next?” _

Zolf finds himself on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. Cel’s sprawled onto his bed, head leaning off the side and looking at his bedroom door upside down. They looked focused and lost in thought and Zolf lifts one of his arms and brings it in front of him to inspect his hand with just as much focus.

Cel gives a loud laugh above him and he hears them roll on his bed so now their head is in Zolf’s view. Their pupils are dilated and their cheeks are a very nice color of pink, Zolf thinks. The goggles that are usually on their head are down around their neck and dangling between them.

“How you feeling Zolf!” they exclaim. Their smile stretches so wide over their face it makes their eyes crinkle. 

Zolf nods slowly and lazily. He doesn’t really know how he feels right now, but not in any sort of bad way. Just in general, he hasn’t felt this carefree in a long time. It’s nice he feels, “Nice,” he says.

Cel’s smirking now, “ _ just _ nice? Nothing feels off at all, how are your legs?” they say. They mostly seem to be teasing but Zolf can see there’s some genuine concern in their voice. He feels a strange lump form in his throat as he inspects their face over and over.

“I’m fine Cel really. My legs don’t even hurt right now. This stuff’s...this stuff’s good. Good uh-good job, I guess,” hey says. His words, he thinks, are pretty slurred but he can’t be bothered. He’s very much basking in the way his body feels right now. Light as a feather. He looks up at Cel who’s still leaning over him. 

There’s that strange look on their face again that Zolf can’t quite pinpoint. He feels like they’re biting their tongue about something. “Are  _ you _ okay, Cel?” he asks. They immediately freeze up. Eyes going a little wide.

“Me? Oh I’m fine! Always am! Just-just nervous I guess and wondering about...things and life and maybe I forgot that sometimes when I do this sort of stuff it makes my brain work triple overtime and I’m also worried about you and your reaction to it and I don’t know you do seem fine-you look good-I mean you-you seem to be handling it well which  _ is  _ good I didn’t remember how strong I made this batch back then and-”  
  
“Cel,” Zolf says strongly to stop them rambling. He reaches a hand up and puts it on their right cheek. They stop talking and blink at him. The room’s quiet now. He strokes their cheek with his thumb, taking note of how soft it is and he smiles. Cel’s eyes are wide in shock but they don’t move away.

Zolf sees them look down towards his lips. That nervous feeling in his stomach doubles. He takes in a breath and moves the hand that was placed on their cheek and hooks it in the goggles that still dangle between them. He pulls on them lightly to gently move their face lower. Cel quickly sees what’s happening.

Neither of them fight it.

It’s a little awkward because of the positioning with Cel coming in somewhat sideways, but their lips connect nonetheless. Zolf’s almost surprised by how soft theirs are given all the time they usually spend around chemicals and experiments, but he’s not really complaining. It’s light and slow at first as they both test out the waters, but Zolf moves his hand again to the back of Cel’s neck to deepen it just a little.

Cel yelps and actually jumps back at that. Zolf immediately goes into apologize, “Oh no I’m sorry Cel. I didn’t mean to force anything I thought maybe you. I didn’t want to- I don’t-”

During this Cel’s repositioned themselves so now they sit up on his bed legs crossed. There’s a slight amusement on their face, “Zolf get up, please,” they say.

Zolf’s embarrassed and confused now but he obliges. He’s now standing in front of them and he lifts his arms and opens his mouth to apologize more but Cel grabs his shirt and pulls him in. They hold him there for a moment and give him a look to try and ask if this is okay. Zolf nods. They smile and lean in. Their lips meet again.

It’s more comfortable now and Zolf reaches out to put one hand gently on their hip and the other on the side of their neck. He feels Cel smile and it’s now their turn to put a hand on the back of Zolf’s head to move him closer.

It’s been a long time since Zolf’s done this. It’s not like he doesn’t enjoy it, it’s just never on the top of his priorities list, especially now. He feels like he’s out of practice and he might be embarrassed by that but he hopes he can chalk it up to the potion they took. Either way, he lets Cel take the lead on this, which seems to be fine by them. He melts further into the embrace they’re in as Cel works their hands through his hair.

Eventually, finally, they come up for air. Zolf’s breathing harder than he’d like to admit but Cel just looks fine. Zolf laughs a bit and he leans his forehead on Cel’s. They both close their eyes as they try to gather their thoughts. Zolf feels like the room is spinning and he doesn’t know if it’s the potion or what just happened. Maybe both.

“That was...nice,” Zolf says.

Cel snorts and moves back, “is that the only adjective you know how to use?” they tease.

Zolf blushes, “words have never really been my thing.”

“That is true, mister smith,” they say. They lean forward a bit and give him a kiss on his forehead.

Another silence falls between them. Cel’s relaxed demeanor seems to grow nervous again as they start to just look around the room. “Um I hope that wasn’t out of line,” they say.

Zolf gives them a confused look. He sits down on the bed next to them. They now face each other, “What?” he says.

Cel gives a crooked smile, “it’s just. I’ve been in these situations before and it-it sometimes doesn’t...end well. I don’t know, maybe we shouldn’t have done this while not sober-”

“Do you regret it, Cel?” he asks.

“No!” they say almost immediately. Zolf smiles a little and the blush deepens on their cheeks, “No. It’s just...I respect you, Zolf, as...as a friend and colleague and I don’t want that to change anything,” they say.

Zolf takes in a breath and thinks. He’s never been in this situation and he doesn’t know what the words to say are, but Cel deserves some sort of explanation and reassurance and he’ll try to give it. “Cel I,” he begins, “You’re good. We-we are good, okay? I’m an adult, we both are, we can navigate this together. I don’t plan on losing you as a colleague...or a friend,” he finishes.

Cel smiles and nods, that was seemingly enough. Zolf relaxes. He doesn’t really think this- whatever just happened will change anything. There’s bigger things to worry about right now. He reaches over and gives their hand a squeeze and firm nod. Cel nods back and smiles. There’s a lightness in their eyes that lets Zolf know that they believe him.

“I should go…” they say. That makes his stomach drop a bit. He leans back and watches them hop off the bed.

“You can..stay here if you want. Bed’s big enough,” he mentions casually. Cel looks at him and then down at the bed and as if nothing happened between them gives him an innocent smirk and raises an eyebrow.

Zolf gives a huff and rolls his eyes, “or not. Your choice,” he sulks.

Cel laughs and makes their way back towards the bed. In what seems like seconds they’re under the covers and sleeping. Zolf laughs as he gets up and slides in next to them.

He has his eyes closed and drifts off quickly but before he does he hears Cel next to him, “but what will Wilde think,” they whisper.

“I will kick you out,” Zolf replies without hesitation. Cel laughs and turns away from him for full effect.

He laughs and turns away so they now face back to back. They mumble small goodnights to each other. The air is light.

It’s been a while since Zolf’s slept next to someone, he forgets how nice it feels.

**Author's Note:**

> :taps microphone: I think Zolf and Cel should make out at least once and then be able to have things not be weird afterwards
> 
> (i havent written any sort of kissing scene in over a year at least so lmao yoinks am i right)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed <3
> 
> (and thanks to MissSunflower94 for the inspiration :D)


End file.
